5dmk3: What do I need to make home movies (mic etc)?

dubcat

dubcat

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I am buying a 5d mark 3 as a full frame camera rather than a video recorder. However, I am keen to exploit it's video capabilities since it has them! I will only ever shoot home movies i.e. movies of my kids and wife at home, the beach, on holiday, etc.

Can you tell me what I need to do this? I figure an external mic for example. If so which one do you recommend? Anything else I need in addition to this?

From an editing standpoint, I have access to Final Cut Pro. I assume this will do what I need from an editing/production perspective. Please bear in mind this is just for home movies - not for commercial work.

Thanks!
 
Audio on the 5dIII is supposed to be pretty good. But if you want to add an extra mic then most people seem happy with the Røde Video mic. There are also more expensive options.

For about the same money you could get a Zoom H1 recorder which gives more flexibility but is another box to carry.

Final Cut should be enough ;) Which version is it? FCX is a VERY different program from previous versions. I much prefer it. Every serious video geek I know prefer the previous versions ;)
 
Thanks Jonathan - sounds good. I will start with on board audio. I don't really WANT to buy anything more for it to be honest. I have access to FCX but the massive change in workflow won't impact me because I never used pre-X versions. It certainly seems a lot easier to use than Premier Pro. I won't use many features to be honest. Just basic time line editing and laying on music plus transitions.

Certainly won't be getting camera stabilisers etc.

Thanks for the reply.
 
I bet you'll be delighted with built in audio ;) I'd try it without any extras and then see if you really need a mic.

BTW if you need to get your head round FCX then this is the best book I've found.
 
Thanks for the book recommendation! I'm going to try my usual click it until it breaks approach. If I get stuck or feel I need more creative capabilities I will check out that book.
 
dubcat said:
Certainly won't be getting camera stabilisers etc.
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A Rode VideoMic is a nice addition to have but the sound isn't too bad off the MkIII. It's not stereo quality or anywhere near it but for home movies and the like it is pretty ok. If you can afford a mic then I would say get one but otherwise I would spend the money initially elsewhere.

However, the stabilisation is non-existant so you will need some kind of camera stabilising system. The 24-105 IS lens is some help when using handheld but that eats through batteries and there is still some camera wobble as it's not designed for video.

I would recommend a Monopod as the nest pruchase you could make over anything else. The ideal monopod is the 561BHDV but it's a little pricey.
I made my own one with a second hand 701 Head and a Neotec Monopod as it's much cheaper, lighter and easier to manage for me. It was €100 cheaper than the 561BHDV.
In reality though pretty much any monopod will do if you have an IS lens attached. You wont have fluid movements obviously without the head but any kind of stabiliser is better than none at all

While it might look ok on the back of the camera in relation to steadiness without monopod, when you put it onto a 40" screen you will get seasick looking at it!!!

Another thing to remember is that there is no Auto Focussing on a 5DMkIII so it's not a point and shoot. You will need to learn how to focus/follow focus properly as well which is no walk in the park!! It's not really suited for home movie type of filming to be honest especially kids and moving objects as it's incredibly difficult to focus on anything that is moving. If you weren't aware of this then I would recommend the Camcorder route and for the money you will drop on a MkIII and a lens you will get yourself one hell of a camcorder!!
 
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Ballyman, I didn't realise I would need to manually focus. Argh. I do have a camcorder but we never use it as we never bother to pack it. I figured having the camera would mean I could just use that for both and benefit from limited depth of field too for a pleasing look. Sounds like it will be a big ball ache :( Oh well. I'll give it a shot for fun but sounds like I need to get in to the habit of using the camcorder. Have missed recording the first 4 years of my twins with it - will ensure I don't miss any more.
 
dubcat said:
Ballyman, I didn't realise I would need to manually focus. Argh. I do have a camcorder but we never use it as we never bother to pack it. I figured having the camera would mean I could just use that for both and benefit from limited depth of field too for a pleasing look. Sounds like it will be a big ball ache :( Oh well. I'll give it a shot for fun but sounds like I need to get in to the habit of using the camcorder. Have missed recording the first 4 years of my twins with it - will ensure I don't miss any more.
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Don't know anyone who would rely on auto focus on any video camera.
 
st599 then you don't know anyone shooting home movies. I can pretty much guarantee that 99.9999% of people owning a camcorder to shoot home movies are doing so relying on auto focus. Are you perhaps talking about people doing something other than shooting home movies?
 
dubcat said:
st599 then you don't know anyone shooting home movies.
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Precisely :)

Pretty much all consumer level and many prosumer level cameras have continuous focus during video. It's just the good stuff that makes you build follow focus rigs out of Lego :D

IMO either Nikon/Canon will find a way to add this to some of their cameras (well, Nikon started with the J series) or Sony will actually start taking market share with a hope that this will halo them further into the DSLR market.
 
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